The Sixth Sense
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$12 Million
"Acting is not acting. It isn't putting on a face and dancing around in a mask. It's believing that you are that character and playing him as if it were a normal day in the life of that character." Haley Joel Osment has been doing that every since he was a small child. This ability to "be" the character so flawlessly is what made Osment a star at any early age. He started his career in the movie Forrest Gump (1994), playing Gump's son who also had the same name as his father.
Osment has enjoyed leading roles in a number of successful Hollywood films, and received a Best Supporting Actor nomination for an Academy Award for his work in The Sixth Sense (1999). So, how did Osment get his start and what's he been doing since he got propelled into the spotlight? Here's everything you need to know!
Growing Up in California
Osment's career in the film industry started early, when he was signed with a talent scout at the age of four. He auditioned after a call-back, and that landed him a role in a commercial for Pizza Hut. Even though it was a simple thing, it was the start of a career. The launching pad of a single commercial propelled Osment into a role in an ABC sitcom called Thunder Alley (1994-1995). In 1994, Osment was also cast as Forrest Gump's son. These two roles were his first television series and first feature film.
Born in Los Angeles, Osment has Roman Catholic parents. He was raised in that religion. His parents were from Birmingham, Alabama. His mother worked as a teacher, and his father was a film and theater actor. Osment also has a sister who is four years younger than him. Learning to speak, Osment never heard baby talk from his father in an effort to teach him proper speaking right from the very beginning. Growing up Haley Joel Osment played football, basketball, and golf. He also wrestled in school, attending Flintridge Preparatory School in La Canada, California.
As Osment started to get noticed for his roles, he began to gain more opportunities for acting. In 1994 he also had a small part in a movie called Mixed Nuts, and he started playing recurring roles on TV shows throughout the 1990s. Some of the shows he was on during that time include The Jeff Foxworthy Show and Murphy Brown. His guest appearances also began to grow during that time, and Osment could be seen on Walker, Texas Ranger, Chicago Hope, Touched by an Angel, Ally McBeal, and other popular shows. Films and made-for-TV movies also often featured or included Osment during that time. No matter what was going on or how busy he was, Osment always tried to take acting professionally, saying "That professionalism comes from what I've watched people do on the set. I'm just trying to be as respectful to the environment, as they have been. I think I still act like a kid. I just try to be as professional as I can."
Propelled to Stardom By Seeing Dead People
While Osment already had a good career, the film that would make him a star happened in 1999. It was M. Night Shyamalan's The Sixth Sense, where he co-starred with Bruce Willis. Playing the role of Cole Sear, a psychic child who could see and talk with the dead, Osment made his mark on Hollywood. He was nominated for an Academy Award for the role, but lost to Michael Caine. Osment would later work with Caine in the movie Secondhand Lions (2003). His "I see dead people" line from The Sixth Sense became a popular phrase and meme for quite some time, and is still in use.
Since his rise to stardom, Osment has been in other movies such as Pay It Forward (2000), A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001), and a Polish film entitled Edges of the Lord (2001). Osment has also worked as a voice actor, having two small appearances on the TV show Family Guy and also voicing characters in movies such as The Jungle Book 2 (2003), The Hunchback of Notre Dame II (2002), and The Country Bears 2002). His voice is also a part of the video game series Kingdom Hearts. In addition to all of those on-screen and voice-only roles, Osment has continued to act on television and voice roles for animated series.
Osment has worked as an executive producer on films that have been shown at various festivals, and made his debut on Broadway in 2008. Mixed reviews of the show, called American Buffalo, caused the show to close after its first week. Since 2010, Osment has continued to star in films, television shows, and voice-only roles. In his spart time he remains an avid golfer. He also plays piano and guitar, and makes his home in New York City. About that city, he says "My favorite place is Central Park because you never know what you're going to find there. I also like that when I look out the windows of surrounding hotels, it's seems like I'm looking out over a forest."
Acting and living in New York clearly agree with Osment, who continues to lend his talent to a number of movies and other roles. He is fearless in the face of things that generally frighten other people, and prefers to study or take interest in things that are unknown or difficult to understand. Instead of becoming frightened by spiders or heights, Osment admits to taking an interest in a lot of things other people would be afraid of. He also prefers the anonymity of New York, which is something he wasn't able to enjoy in the Los Angeles area.
In 2010, Osment accepted the lead in Sex Ed, and in 2013 he was part of the Amazon series Alpha House. At times, he focuses on a resurgence of roles that he has created in the past, or roles that are similar to others he has played. But he also understands the importance of branching out. He says that playing a role like that of Cole Sear in The Sixth Sense burns an image into the minds of fans and moviegoers regarding who the actors are. Instead of just being known for that one role, Osment wants to be sure he is well-rounded and seen for all the other characters he has the ability and the desire to play.
Most recently, Osment has had a recurring role on HBO's Silicon Valley in 2017, and in 2019 he had a supporting role in a Netflix film entitled Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, which was based on the life and prosecution of Ted Bundy. His role in that movie is alongside Lily Collins and Zac Efron. Osment received a broken rib and fractured shoulder blade in a 2006 car accident, but has made a full recovery from his injuries without lasting damage to his physical health. He continues to take roles that are important and meaningful to him.
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